Chapter Summaries

He Ao and Penny failed to find work or obtain a social security card because they were Wilderness Wanderers without the required documents. As they left the Social Security Group Building, they encountered an anti-Christos procession and a group of young people led by a freckled girl.

• Employment agencies refused to help He Ao and Penny because they lacked social security numbers, and He Ao learned that visa limits made it difficult for Wilderness Wanderers to work in Dawn City.
• He Ao took Penny to the Social Security Group to apply for a card, but a supervisor said the group could not issue cards to Wilderness Wanderers without a passport or birth certificate.
• He Ao realized that someone might be able to obtain a Dawn City passport without going through the usual birth-certificate process, though doing so was likely difficult.
• He Ao and Penny left the building and saw demonstrators calling for Christos to step down, with York among them.
• A freckled girl with a camera led a group of young people who criticized the demonstrators.

He Ao and Penny learned that Wilderness Wanderers faced extra costs and barriers when trying to buy or rent homes in Dawn City, leaving Penny feeling unwelcome. When they spotted York speaking with another Wilderness Hunter, Penny recognized the man’s jewelry as belonging to people from her camp, including her cousin’s ring.

• Jessie told a girl that Joey had supposedly dropped out, though she did not know where he had gone, then dismissed the feeling that a passing Uncle looked familiar.
• He Ao took Penny to real estate agencies and learned that Wilderness Wanderers needed an Individual Tax Identification Number to buy property, could not get mortgages, and faced obstacles and extra costs when renting.
• After their unsuccessful search, Penny felt isolated among Dawn City’s comforts and noticed York talking with another Wilderness Hunter.
• He Ao pulled Penny into an alley and signaled her to watch the other hunter, whose jewelry included a ring Penny recognized as her cousin’s.
• Penny recognized the hunter’s other jewelry as belonging to Wilderness Wanderers from her camp and felt a chill.

He Ao killed York before he could use a Gauss Gun, then followed Penny’s location to track the Wilderness Hunter with the gold ring. Meanwhile, imprisoned Wilderness Wanderers faced starvation and threats of forced factory labor as a jeweled man returned to their captors.

• York told the Wilderness Hunter with the gold ring about a wealthy refugee staying at a hotel and asked him to approach Boss Hank about targeting the refugee and a Little Girl.
• The Wilderness Hunter with the gold ring said Boss Hank was busy pressuring captured Wilderness Wanderers to accept factory work and told York to keep watch.
• He Ao confronted York in a dark alley, killed him with a curved blade, and left after Penny sent him the gold-ringed hunter’s location.
• A captive woman and the other imprisoned Wanderers resisted threats and hunger as a burly man warned they would be taken to the factory and whipped into obedience.
• A man covered in jewelry returned to the prison and announced himself to the boss.

He Ao entered a room where Hank and his men were holding captives, but Hank recognized him as an enemy and ordered his men to shoot. After He Ao killed the gunmen, Hank revealed a Laser Cannon in his palm, and He Ao vanished, suspecting Hank had a grudge against Ronald.

• Hank questioned a man about new Wilderness Wanderers and threatened him with having his fingers chopped off for secretly wearing Hank’s jewelry.
• A hoarse-voiced Wilderness Wanderer knocked on the door, and Hank ordered his men to kill He Ao as soon as they saw him.
• He Ao dodged the gunfire, and his counterattack killed Hank’s men while leaving Hank and a frightened lackey alive.
• Hank revealed a Laser Cannon in his palm, and He Ao flashed away, suspecting Hank knew Ronald and had a grudge against him.

He Ao confronted Hank, the traitor whose betrayal had helped bring down Ronald’s father, and freed eight prisoners. Learning that the rest of their group had been sent to a brutal factory, He Ao set out to investigate at 135 Seventy-Ninth Avenue.

• He Ao recognized Hank by the damaged Ice Wolf Tattoo and learned he had betrayed the camp for a better bionic body.
• Hank threatened the prisoners while his lackey aimed a gun at He Ao, but He Ao killed the lackey and struck Hank with his scimitar.
• He Ao destroyed the iron fence and freed eight prisoners, then had Penny find glucose injections for them.
• Linda explained that the others had been sent to a factory where workers endured brutal shifts, beatings, and stolen wages.
• Linda told He Ao that the factory was at 135 Seventy-Ninth Avenue, and he decided to investigate it.

He Ao brought Linda and the eight rescued captives to Roger’s shop to find treatment and a safe place to rest. Roger was away, but He Ao retrieved the stored Short Sword and a jar of his unsettling wound medicine, while learning Roger had taken a major job connected to He Ao’s organization.

• He Ao led Linda and the eight captives away from Hank’s residence in two self-driving taxis to avoid attention and get their wounds treated.
• At Roger’s closed shop, He Ao called him, and Roger remotely opened the rolling shutter and told him where to find the stored sword and medicine.
• He Ao brought everyone inside the shop, closed the shutter, and told them they could rest there for now.
• In the back room, He Ao tested the Short Sword and put it away after noting that his own curved blade was badly damaged.
• He Ao took Roger’s black wound ointment from a cabinet and noticed that it seemed to writhe as he carried it out.

He Ao activated a hidden authority in Eve’s system, then traveled to the Kyle Manufacturing Company on Seventy-Ninth Avenue. After a man escaped from the factory, several workers mistook He Ao for a Wilderness Wanderer and approached him instead of giving chase.

• He Ao used a set of credentials to install a customized system and gained temporary authority over Eve as “k.”
• He Ao connected to Eve and took a taxi to Seventy-Ninth Avenue, stopping near the Kyle Manufacturing Company.
• A thin figure jumped over the factory’s high-voltage fence and fled down the street.
• Several burly men came out of the factory, spotted the fleeing figure, then noticed He Ao and approached him.

He Ao confronted Wilderness Hunters who tried to seize him, then rescued a fleeing teenager from the factory men pursuing him. After killing the attackers and freeing the teenager, He Ao demanded answers.

• Two burly men offered He Ao a job, then tried to capture him and decided to kill him after noticing his expensive leather coat.
• A gaunt teenager fled from factory pursuers, but the Tall Man caught him, chained him, and threatened to return him to the factory.
• The Tall Man and the two burly men agreed to attack He Ao, while the bound teenager warned him to run.
• He Ao killed the two burly men and pierced the Tall Man’s mechanical body, destroying its energy core.
• He Ao cut the teenager’s chains and told him, “I ask. You answer.”

The boy told He Ao how Ghost Mushrooms killed his family and how he survived before being trapped in the factory. He explained how he planned and carried out his escape, and He Ao asked whether the factory Boss was inside.

• The boy recounted how Ghost Mushrooms killed his parents, Elder Brother, and Elder Sister after they ate mushroom soup, and how he escaped the colony in their off-road vehicle.
• The boy explained that two Wilderness Hunters brought him to the factory, where workers faced long shifts, cramped dormitories, and abuse from foremen.
• The boy described studying the factory’s camera blind spots, layout, and security while earning his foreman’s trust.
• The boy escaped through a window and the small rear door when the factory Boss or a guest arrived, using the gap in security around the entrance.
• He Ao asked whether the factory Boss was currently inside.

He Ao investigated Kyle Manufacturing Company after learning about its workers’ fears and the factory’s tightened security, then contacted Viktor about a possible deal. At the factory gate, guards discussed the escaped Wilderness Wanderer as a lean man approached.

• He Ao questioned a boy about the factory, learned the boss had promised to handle workers’ concerns, and sent him to Roger’s clinic to meet Penny.
• He Ao asked Eve to investigate Kyle Manufacturing Company and learned that gang leader Kyle effectively controlled it, owed Nolan Ka Bank fifteen million Federal currency, and faced cash-flow problems.
• He Ao called Viktor, the leader of the Money Rat Gang, and asked whether he was interested in a deal.
• Factory guards discussed the deaths of Wilderness Hunters, the escaped Wanderer, and the commission they could earn by recruiting Wanderers.
• A lean man in a leather coat approached the factory gate.

He Ao entered Kyle Manufacturing Company under the name Ronald, after the Thin Man accepted a referral fee and tried to sneak him past the factory guards. When the attempt failed, the Thin Man decided to kill him for his valuable coat, but He Ao struck first with a sword.

• He Ao introduced himself at the factory gate and said Wilderness Hunter Hank had told him about the job.
• The Thin Man registered He Ao as Ronald and led him toward a side entrance while the Tall Man worried about bringing him inside.
• The Black Clothed Man refused to admit He Ao until the boss had left, and the Thin Man returned to him with a new plan.
• The Thin Man aimed his pistol at He Ao from behind, but He Ao moved into a camera blind spot and a flash of silver sword light swept past.

He Ao infiltrated the Factory Building by distracting its guards and reached the server room, where he confirmed the security setup and prepared to deal with the security personnel. He left the corridor with the gang members still fighting over the money-laced pebble.

• He Ao hid Thin Man's corpse in a flower bed and used an Allure-imbued pebble to draw the passage guards away.
• He Ao tossed an Allure-imbued banknote into the building, distracted the guards inside, and slipped through the entrance.
• He Ao recalled rumors from the Wilderness Wanderers and confirmed that the core server room was near the entrance and the security room was elsewhere in the factory.
• He Ao cut through the server room door latch and used a camera to inspect the room, spotting its maintenance robot and surveillance camera.
• He Ao saw the gang members still fighting over the banknote and walked to the end of the corridor behind them.

He Ao infiltrated the factory’s server room, mapped its layout, and identified Kyle and Nord Investment Bank director Kaven meeting in a conference room. He resolved to free the imprisoned Wilderness Wanderers and build the conditions for them to make a home in the city, beginning by confronting Kyle and the Hunter Gang.

• He Ao lured people away from the security room with a Temptation-infused banknote, then entered the server room and had Eve take control of its systems.
• He Ao disabled the live surveillance feed, studied the factory’s cameras and layout, and used the security footage and lighting controls to locate Kyle in a third-floor conference room.
• He Ao concluded that rescuing the imprisoned Wilderness Wanderers could give him the support needed to establish a new home for them in the city.
• He Ao used the conference room’s smart TV camera to see Kyle meeting with Kaven, the Executive Director of Nord Investment Bank.
• He Ao began recording the meeting as he considered the connection between Kyle’s financial troubles and Nord’s investment.

Kaven rejected Kyle’s factory as an unsustainable investment, then proposed using a stock-market scheme to profit despite the business’s limited future. As Kaven dismissed the fate of investors who might lose everything, the conference room lights went out and its door opened.

• Kaven questioned Kyle about the factory’s high annual loss of Wilderness Wanderer workers and argued that its labor supply was a nonrenewable resource.
• Kaven explained that expanding in Dawn City or opening branches elsewhere would not solve the problem, and that the investment would take about five years to break even.
• Kyle offered to sell his shares for less, but Kaven said Norde could help list the factory and raise money through the stock market.
• Kaven described manipulating the share price and dumping the stock before the company collapsed, and Kyle asked whether investors might go bankrupt and die.
• Kaven said their fate was none of Kyle’s concern, and the conference room lights went out as the door slowly opened.

He Ao infiltrated Kyle’s factory and used the television to warn him that Nord Group might exploit his company and eliminate him. The power went out as He Ao revealed himself to Kyle and Kaven.

• A lackey told Kyle the lights had gone out, and Kyle ordered him to reset the breaker.
• A voice on the television predicted that Kaven would seek company shares for Nord Group and warned Kyle that the group might profit by betraying him.
• Kaven denied sending confidential information, but Kyle kept him in the room while searching for the person speaking through the television.
• A lackey reported that no one was in the server room, and He Ao appeared at the conference-room window to greet Kyle.
• He Ao’s controlled robot cut the building’s power, plunging the factory into darkness as rain and lightning surrounded the building.

He Ao confronted Kyle over the deaths tied to Kyle’s criminal operation, and the two fought through the building and into the storm. After learning how Kyle’s Challenger ability boosted his strength in brief bursts, He Ao lured him around a corner and into a trap.

• He Ao threatened to release a recording of Kyle and accused him of responsibility for thousands of deaths, prompting Kyle to attack.
• He Ao used Hyperthymesia and his Short Sword to fight Kyle, whose metal gauntlets and explosive strength overwhelmed him in direct clashes.
• He Ao wounded Kyle and worked out that his Challenger ability granted temporary surges of power when he was injured or driven into desperate situations.
• Kyle offered He Ao a share of his ambitions, but He Ao asked whether Kyle had once wanted justice for his parents before Kyle attacked again.
• He Ao fled around a corner into the Rain Curtain, drawing Kyle after him until Kyle caught his foot on a rope.

He Ao killed Kyle with an Iron Thorns trap, but Kyle survived long enough to confront and kill Kaven and his bodyguards. After Kyle finally died, He Ao took Kaven’s bracelet and carried Kyle’s corpse back toward the dark Factory Building.

• He Ao’s Iron Thorns trap bound Kyle, allowing He Ao to stab him through the heart, but Kyle tore free and fled toward the main gate.
• Kyle found Kaven and accused him of helping manipulate Abbott Intelligent Machinery’s stock price, then strangled him and fought off his bodyguards.
• He Ao caught up as Kyle charged him, and Kyle collapsed and died from his wound before he could land a punch.
• He Ao took Kaven’s Smart Bracelet and asked Eve to crack it, then lifted Kyle’s corpse to prevent it from becoming a dangerous Transcendent Item.
• A gate guard spotted He Ao carrying Kyle’s bloodied corpse, panicked, and fled as He Ao picked up the flashlight and walked toward the dark Factory Building.

He Ao fought his way through the building after killing Kyle, then reached the twenty-sixth floor and found captured Wilderness Wanderers there. He rallied them to come out, leaving the factory floor celebrating the hope that they could live.

• He Ao entered the dark building carrying Kyle's corpse, and killed the gang members who attacked him while sparing those who did not threaten him.
• He Ao rode the elevator to the twenty-sixth floor, where armed foremen faced a group of workers led by a youth with an iron shovel.
• The foremen attacked He Ao, and he quickly killed them with his silver sword.
• He Ao confirmed that he had advanced and asked the youth to call everyone out, as people from Ronald's camp summoned the Wilderness Wanderers from the workshops.
• He Ao raised Kyle's corpse and declared, "We can live!" as the Wilderness Wanderers came out and cheered across the factory.

He Ao seized control of the factory, organized more than six thousand Wilderness Wanderers to escape in cargo trucks, and sent them to Hope Building for temporary shelter. As the convoy departed, Eve announced that a decryption was complete.

• He Ao split the twenty-five people from Ronald's camp into groups, then led fifteen of them to seize the third floor and disarm the factory's gang members.
• He Ao brought in more Wilderness Wanderers, distributed weapons, secured the warehouse and gates, and led a bloody sweep that killed the resisting foremen.
• He Ao organized the Wilderness Wanderers into teams and arranged for them to leave the factory in cargo trucks before the Hunter Gang or City Defense Army could intervene.
• He Ao told the first team's captain that the convoy was headed to Hope Building, where Viktor had agreed to help shelter them temporarily.
• Eve told He Ao that decryption was complete.

He Ao searched Kaven’s wristband and learned that Nord Group had approved an emergency plan to end Christos’s rule and that Kyle had spent heavily on extraordinary materials, likely with a powerful backer. He returned to his former home and picked up the mask he had left there after Joey’s final battle.

• He Ao read Nord Group’s board resolution authorizing the group to end Christos’s rule in an emergency and had Eve copy the email.
• He Ao reviewed Kaven’s report on Kyle Manufacturing Company and found that Kyle had bought high-grade extraordinary materials from Followers of the God of Chaos, suggesting he had a powerful backer.
• He Ao inferred that Kyle and his backer likely needed something from Nord Group and memorized the clue before leaving the factory.
• Bodyguards found Kaven dead and blamed Kyle, but Hunter Gang members arrived and opened fire on them while searching for their boss.
• He Ao entered his former residence and picked up the dusty mask he had left there after Joey’s final battle.